Fragments of Life
by Yamikaze
Summary: After a traffic accident, Conan finds himself thrown back in time. What had caused this? And what do Koizumi Akako and Kaitou Kid have to do with all this? ON HOLD: Gosho Aoyama just doesn't inspire me anymore
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Detective Conan or Kaitou Kid characters. Don't sue me. I'm just a high school boy with plenty of time to burn and too little cash to go with it.

He ran towards the crosswalk while keeping an eye on the man dressed in black. He sweated in stress as the man in black started to blend into the crowd and disappear from his sight. He cursed his own incompetent size for the twentieth time that day.

'Not again!' Conan thought as he ran across the street once the pedestrian light turned green, 'I won't let you escape this time!' He smirked a confident grin as he pulled out his tracking bug from his school backpack and turned it on. He hardly noticed the truck that ran the red light. A screech of tires was the last thing Conan heard before the darkness…

* * *

Conan woke up in the hospital with a gigantic, royal headache. He sat up and held his head with a grimace; he could feel layers upon layers of bandage wrapped around his head. He looked around the room and saw the clock on the wall, which read 5:46. Conan glanced out the window and could see the sun setting as cars were jammed everywhere on the streets with their drivers intent on getting home.

'Crap, Ran is going to have a fit when she hears about this.' Conan contemplated his predicament sullenly and painfully, 'And to top it all off, I lost track of the guy. This is just not my day.' He looked around the empty room, the two beds beside his were clean and without signs of recent occupants. He slowly got off of his bed and reached for his glasses on the small table, but to his surprise, he found nothing. 'Probably got destroyed when I got ran over, I'll have to ask Dr. Agasa for another one. Hope he doesn't mind.' He sighed and checked his other equipment, and surprise soon turned to panic as his eyes darted back and forth between himself and the room. In his hospital gown, he frantically searched the dressers and desks found in the room. 'What? Where's my tranquilizer watch, and by soccer ball belt? And I don't see my voice changer or my power shoes anywhere! Did the hospital staff take all my stuff? Not very likely, they have no reason to. Or have all my gadgets been destroyed? Wait… If they have been destroyed, then that must mean there was enough force in the impact to cause several other serious injuries to me as well, but how come only my head was hurt?' Conan checked over his body once again and saw no visible wounds. 'Impossible… A truck hits me and all I got was a cracked skull? This makes no sense at all!' He quickly ran to his medical chart at the bottom of his bed, which read:

Patient No. 254579

Name: N/A

Age: N/A

Height: 110cm

Weight: 26kg

Blood Type: B negative

Allergies: N/A

Medical History: N/A

Condition: Blunt trauma to the head, stable

…

'Okay, this is officially getting bizarre. How can they not know who I am? I was carrying my school backpack with my name and address in it! No matter how damaged my things were, they could've still found out some things about me. And why in hell is that television so loud?' Conan glared irritably at the television that was making his headache worse. Ordinarily he wouldn't have minded it, but somehow the sound of it kept on pounding into his ears, and each boom caused him to replay in his head his unfortunate meeting with the truck.

"In other news, the missing high school detective Kudo Shinichi has not been found yet. As the police continue on with the desperate search, friends and family of Kudo Shinichi are still supporting each other in the third day of this ordeal and hoping for the return of the prodigal son and loyal friend…" Conan tuned out the rest of the reporter's words as he stood still in shock. He looked at the screen and saw the worried faces of Dr. Agasa, Ran, his parents, and his high school friends.

'But why…why would Dr. Agasa and my parents look for Kudo Shinichi and not Edogawa Conan? Shinichi is on a "case" right now and it not unusual for him to not contact anyone for weeks on end, not that it is a good thing… And Conan's the one who should be home right after school because of the banquet thing with Kogoro-san and that politician, Miyakana. Wait a minute! The reporter said it's the third day, just how long have I been out?' Conan looked at the date on the TV screen just below the side-scrolling news messages. He let out a gasp as all his hair stood on end. 'This is a dream…this must be! Going back in time in a medical sense I can handle, but there is no way I could have really gone back in time, back to when this all started…!' The date on the screen was exactly three days after the Roller-Coaster Murder incident.

* * *

The wind billowed through his white cape as he smiled with grim satisfaction. He held the perfectly round gem up in the dim light of a starry sky. The gem was held in place by a gold ring, which was attached to a silk ribbon and formed a simple necklace. The gem appeared dull and gray, without anything special that would indicate that it was actually a gem other than the gold it was wrapped in. The young man waited patiently for the moon to appear from behind the few clouds that drifted through the night sky.

"And now… The moment of truth." Kaitou Kid spoke as if there was an audience around him, but only the wind whistled through the rooftops as sirens blared mutedly in the distance. As the light of the moon slowly shone through, the gem started to glow and become transparent. Brilliant streaks of gold branched out from its center as blue and red spots glowed and swirled around inside just like the lights on top of the police cars that he had become so familiar with. "I've finally found you, the destroyer of innocence, the starter of all plagues. I've found you, Pandora…"

"I never knew you could be so poetic."

"I'm an artist, how can I not be poetic?" Kaitou Kid smiled a crooked grin as he turned around to face a woman dressed in revealing black, "And how may I be of service to you today, Koizumi-san?"

"I'm just here to warn you not to destroy that relic in your hand just yet." Her hair flowed beautifully in the wind as every inch of her body sang the dangerous song of seduction. Kaitou Kid did not notice this and politely showed his doubt.

"And why not, may I ask?"

"Someone whose fate is closely connected with yours is now dying, and he doesn't have much time." Koizumi Akako stated darkly as she kept her eyes on the thief.

"Oh? It's a 'he'? Are you talking about Nakamori-san, or Saguru-san perhaps?" Kaitou Kid raised an eyebrow as he tucked the Pandora Gem securely into his pocket.

"He is the one who can truly oppose you, one who is the light to your darkness, the yin to your yang. He is the only one in this universe who can counter you with equal power, and yet be in perfect harmony with you at the same time."

"I have no idea who you're talking about, please stop talking nonsense." Kaitou Kid turned away from Koizumi Akako and started to walk towards the edge of the roof.

"Hmm. And here I thought you liked riddles. How about this, then? He is the one who can help you achieve your goal, and you his. You can either destroy each other, or help each other prevail. And… I think that you know this." Akako smiled amusedly as Kaitou Kid turned his head and narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "Don't worry, I'm not reading your mind. I know that you have been monitoring his activities, and it is the Kaitou Kid's way to look out for things that would either threaten or help him, is it not?" Kaitou Kid relaxed the tension in his shoulders as his poker face set back in place after the small interruption to his features.

"You said that he can help achieve my goal, but I've already reached my goal. The Gem is in my hand right now."

"Do you truly believe that? Is a little gem what the great thief Kaitou Kid is really after? If that's the case, then I've seriously misjudged your character, Kuroba-san."

"I'm not Kuroba." Kaitou Kid rebutted in his smooth voice, "Okay, let's say you're right, which I doubt. Let's say that this man or boy you speak of is in danger, and that he is the one who can help me in my time of need. How do I know the sincerity of your intentions? How do I know that you are not one of those people who would want to take the Pandora Gem for their own purposes?"

"Have I ever lied to you or put you in danger, Kuroba-san?" Akako smiled playfully and cast her red eyes on the thief in white, "Besides, I don't need a silly gem to keep my youth and beauty." She laughed melodiously as she disappeared into the darkness.

Kaitou Kid stared at the spot Akako was in expressionlessly, and then he jumped off the roof and activated his hang glider. A few minutes later he arrived at the Mouri Detective Agency and found the lights and television on with no signs of people. 'So they left in a hurry. Wonder what happened?' The TV was set on a news channel, and commercials had just finished.

"A small boy was hit by a drunk driver today in the Beika district," the reporter started, "The boy's name is Edogawa Conan, aged 7. Witnesses say that as he crossed the street, a blue truck ran a red light and hit him head on. The boy is in critical condition at the Beika District Hospital. Friends and family…" The sound of Kaitou Kid's fluttering cape flew out the window, and the building was once again abandoned.

* * *

A/N: Fade out… And… Cue the movie opening! (Hums to the addictive opening theme as character introductions are made.) Ah! Cliffhangers! Gotta love them! They're simply the best friends of evil authors. But even evil authors need reviews… (Looks on with teary puppy eyes.) 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Detective Conan or Kaitou Kid characters. If I did, then my name would be Gosho Aoyama and I would be worth millions. Billions if you count in yen.

Conan quickly flipped through the channels on the TV, and saw that any dates displayed are the same ones as the one on the news channel reporting about Kudo Shinichi's missing state. He then ran back to his medical chart to check the date at the bottom, which said the same thing. All of the dates were exactly three days after Kudo Shinichi's meeting with the Black Organization at the amusement park. Conan stood, dumbfounded. 'How…? Why…? But this can't…!' He jumped as the phone on one of the desks in the hospital room rang. He approached it cautiously and looked around. Slowly, he picked it up. "Moshi moshi?"

"Kudo Shinichi," a young feminine voice spoke, "I have a message for you."

Conan's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, but he managed to shove some laughter into his strained voice, "What are you talking about, nee-san? I'm just a little boy named Edogawa Conan, so how can I be that missing famous high school detective you're talking about?"

Amusement filled the other end of the line as the voice spoke again, "Fine by me, I'm just here to tell you that soon you will have a choice to make."

"A choice?"

"Thanks to the mystical powers of the legendary Pandora Gem, you will be given a chance to restart from a certain point in your life, one that you choose. It's very appealing, isn't it? To be able to change your past to your liking…"

"Legendary gem? Restart at a point in my life? What are you talking about? This all sounds very farfetched to me. Hold on… Is that you, Kaitou Kid? If you're trying to pull my leg, it won't work. I'll bet that this whole thing is all your doing. I don't care what kind of tricks you have up in your sleeves, but you better stop all of this before I shove some of my own tricks up your behind!" Conan's angry eyes narrowed in doubt, "And how can a gem have some kind of… supernatural power? Such a thing is scientifically impossible, to quote a certain someone I know… Anyway, who are you really and what do you want?"

"I'm not the Phantom Thief, you can rest assured about that… Hmm, interesting settings here, Kudo-san." The voice on the other end completely ignored Conan's other questions and went on, "Perhaps it is fate that your mind is showing you a glimpse of what's to come. Don't look so confused, as you will see what I mean soon enough. I will contact you again at the appropriate time." The phone let out an audible click.

"Hey, wait!" Conan looked at the phone, deflated, and hung up. He grabbed his head in frustration and let out a yelp when a sharp stab was felt where his fingers touched his skull. 'Kuso! So many questions unanswered! At least I know that the call wasn't from Kaitou Kid, because he would never deny his Kid identity unless it is absolutely vital, like during a heist or if he's in danger. Plus, he has never hurt anyone as far as I can tell, so it's improbable that he was the one that caused my injuries and put me in this place. But if it's not the Kid, then what exactly is happening to me?' He perked up as he realized something, 'Hey! The girl said, "Don't look so confused!" She must be nearby!' He quickly ran to scrutinize the streets outside of the hospital building, but found nothing after ten minutes of squinting and sneaking around the windows. Conan then checked around the room for hidden holes or cameras that someone could have used, but again found nothing suspicious after another half hour. Conan yelled out loud to express his annoyance, and quickly realized his mistake as a nurse opened the door and walked in.

"Ah! Konbawa, little boy! How are you feeling right now?" She smiled cheerfully at Conan.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha! Konbawa, nee-san!" Conan nervously pointed at the TV screen and tried to act as cute as possible. "Excuse me, is that today's date?"

"Oh, that's right! You've out for three days, haven't you? Yes, that's today's date alright."

"Have I really been out for three days? Then how come I don't have an intravenous stuck in my arm to give me nutrients? If I had been out for that long, then the doctor must have done something to keep my body healthy!" Conan clung on to his last shard of hope to find some sort of inconsistency in his situation.

"My, you're very smart, aren't you?" The nurse opened her eyes wide in delighted bewilderment and replied, "Actually, your body was able to act on instinct since you weren't that badly hurt. We were able to feed you liquid food in your sleep, just like a baby with a bottle!" She giggled at the analogy and pinched Conan's face, whose last shard of hope shattered and scattered into the cold, merciless wind. "Well, I'll go get the doctor for you now, and then maybe you can tell him where your parents are so they can pay the bills!" She winked at Conan and started to go out the door.

Conan suddenly felt a surge of terror rising up from his guts. He called out to stop the nurse in her tracks, "Hey, hold on! Where's all my stuff?"

"Your stuff? Oh! Were those clothes really yours? They seemed way too big for you, so we decided to keep it in storage until someone comes to claim them. I'll go get them for you if you want, but only after I inform the doctor." With that, she closed the door behind her, and Conan struggled to climb out of his suddenly blank state of mind as he tried to digest all the information the nurse had given him.

'Clothes that are too big for me… Shimatta! If all the facts are correct, then I'm in deep trouble! From what I can tell, someone probably had found me and brought me here for medical assistance, in Kudo Shinichi's clothes! And since "Edogawa Conan" doesn't exist yet, I can't address myself with that alias as there would be no records of me anywhere! I would have to answer some very difficult questions if anyone finds out about me right now! I must phone Dr. Agasa right away to get things straightened out. This is really not my day!' Conan picked up the phone and dialed rapidly, there was only one ring before the call was picked up.

"Moshi moshi?" An old, nasal voice piped up hurriedly from the other end.

"Agasa Hakase?" Conan tried to keep his voice calm and controlled.

"Yes? Who is this and how may I help you?" The voice became subdued and weary.

"Hakase, this is Shinichi speaking, and I have very important things to say right now. You must listen carefully."

Dr. Agasa became eerily silent for a few seconds before replying, "Little boy, this isn't the time for pranks right now. We're all very worried about Shinichi and we are way too busy searching for him. Find someone else to bother..."

Conan's mouth gaped open as he remembered that Dr. Agasa doesn't know his voice yet, sohe shouted in panic, "Wait! Don't hang up yet!"

"What is it boy? What do you want with us?"

"Tell me, would someone other than the real Kudo Shinichi know about that hairy mole on your rear end?" Conan spoke the line without a hitch, the line that was memorized as part of the fateful day that had played back in his head so many times.

"What? But…!" Dr. Agasa's voice sputtered in embarrassment, "He could have told anyone about that! You can't really be Shinichi!"

"Come to the Beika District Hospital and see for yourself," Conan instructed the doctor, "Ask for Edogawa Conan, say that you're a relative of his, and don't tell anyone about this phone call: Kudo Shinichi would be really mad at you if you did." He hung up and sighed in relief, 'Good, if nothing else works, that last statement should get him here. Now I have to figure out how to deal with the other doctor.'

"Ah! Good to see you up and about! That's a really good sign, you know? You'll probably be able to get out of this boring place by tomorrow!" A friendly, masculine voice popped up behind Conan.

'Speak of the devil…'

A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far. This chapter is mostly about how Conan is struggling to keep up and deal with this "officially bizarre" situation. Some of you could probably guess what the story is about by now. Anyway, you know what they say! "A review a day keeps writer's blocks away!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Detective Conan or Kaitou Kid characters. (Casts a sideway glare at Gosho Aoyama, who is pimped up with bling-bling and singing: "Doo, do, do, do. Do, do. Do, do. Can't touch this! Doo, do, do, do. Do, do. Do, do. Can't touch this!" )

He plopped back onto his bed after he racked his brain answering the doctor's questions. He had found out that the doctor's name was Yoshimura Hiraku, age 35. After Dr. Yoshimura checked him over and told him that he will be fine other than the occasional headache in the next few days, he was asked about the whereabouts of his family. He had told the doctor that his mother's name was Edogawa Fumiyo, and his father's name was Edogawa Kento. He also told the doctor that the reason that there were no records of him or his family because they lived overseas, and he just came back to visit a distant relative of his, Agasa Hakase, who will come and check on him later that night. He closed his eyes and felt very exhausted when the doctor finally left.

'Man, that was so bad my head is starting to feel numb!' Conan looked at the clock, which read 6:34. 'And the doctor liked to talk so much, he's nearly as bad as Sonoko! If those two ever met each other, they'll probably talk and talk and forget to sleep or eat, speaking of which…' Conan's stomach growled loudly, 'Where's my dinner?'

"Here's your dinner!" The nurse from before entered the room with a tray of hospital food and set it on the table beside Conan's bed. "Enjoy! The teriyaki steak almost looks good today, almost." She smiled mischievously and bent down to whisper into Conan's ears, "I would suggest that you chew it in large bites; it's not as bad if your taste buds don't have time to react. But don't tell anyone I told you this, okay? The doctors here are really fussy about their patients chewing their food." She winked and left in a brisk walk, and her footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Conan looked at the steak and decided that he wasn't ready for any more excitement just yet, so he got started on the salad instead.

'So what will I do now? I guess I still have to keep my identity a secret to everyone except Dr. Agasa and my parents. But is that really a good idea? I mean, I spent such a long time looking for the Black Organization it's not even funny. Perhaps I should get more help this time.' Conan picked up a leaf of lettuce with his fork and stuffed it into his mouth, 'What am I talking about? Of course I have to keep my mouth shut! The Organization is so widespread and powerful that they probably have people in the police force as well. All it takes is one wrong person to know about me and I can kiss my life goodbye. My life…' He poked the piece of cucumber and took a small bite this time. 'Was everything from before just a dream? A figment of my imagination while I was unconscious? It all seemed so real, though. Solving cases behind Kogoro-ojisan's back with his voice, the Junior Detective League, and Ran…' He paused in his train of thoughts as memories of Ran flooded his mind, both the good times and the bad times, and the most lasting image in his head was Ran's sad face when she missed Shinichi. He groaned as his head acted up again. 'Well, maybe telling her wouldn't be such a bad idea. I mean, the things that she would kill me for, like that "bath incident", hasn't even happened yet, so I'll be relatively safe from her. But can I really trust her not to spill my secret?' He grinded the cucumber with his teeth and turned it into mush. 'Why are you doubting her, Kudo Shinichi? You've screwed up big time and lied for such a long time, and still she puts so much faith and trust in you! You'll probably head straight to hell if you don't return the favor!' He sighed and picked up a segment of carrot. 'You should at least tell her about the Black Organization if you want to protect her. She needs to know who to look out for…' Just as he took a bite, the door creaked, and a chubby, balding man peeked in.

"What's up, doc?" Conan chewed on his carrot.

"Edogawa Conan?" Agasa Hakase stepped into the room and looked very wary.

"Only to the public eye," Conan swallowed, "But like I told you before, I'm really Kudo Shinichi. All you have to do is look at my face and you can probably see the resemblance right away."

"True," Dr. Agasa looked genuinely confused and torn between belief and disbelief as he studied the features of the young boy carefully, "But I still need more proof. There's no way Shinichi-kun has been turned into a child!"

"Okay then!" Conan looked over Dr. Agasa critically and made his move, "First of all, the dirt and stains on your shoes and pants indicate that you have recently been walking in muddy grass for long periods of time, and there are also yellow stains on the lower parts of your sleeves: you probably used them to wipe away your sweat after your rigorous workouts. Given the current situation as reported by the news, and the fact that you don't like to get out much due to your scientific experiments, you were most likely looking for me, Kudo Shinichi, in the amusement park grounds, where I was first reported missing, right?" He paused as Dr. Agasa's eyes began to widen. "Secondly, there are stains on your shoulders, and they look very much like tear stains. I'm assuming that Ran was with you during the search and you were comforting her when she was crying, am I correct?" Dr. Agasa held his breath and listened intently as Conan, whose eyes showed a shadow of deep regret, continued on, "Finally, from looking at that charred mark on your newly bought shirt sweatshirt, I wouldn't be surprised at all if you were building some new wacky device to help track me down." Conan's eyes sharpened dramatically in triumph and amusement as he smirked confidently, and he suddenly looked very familiar to Dr. Agasa.

"Shi-Shinichi-kun!" Dr. Agasa gasped, "It… it can't be! It's really you! But how?"

"I'll tell you," Conan finished off his carrot, "But I don't think this is the time or the place to be talking about it. Hakase, I have a favor to ask of you. I told the hospital that you're a relative of mine I'm staying over with. Can you come and pick me up tomorrow morning?" Dr. Agasa nodded. "Meanwhile, would you please inform Ran and my parents that I'm fine, but my location has to remain a secret because of the danger I'm in? Thanks. Don't worry about the authorities that are in charge of the search for me, I'll deal with them myself." Conan finished off the salad, and at that moment, he felt ready to tackle his steak. "Oh, by the way, can you bring me a pair of glasses? You know, for my disguise. If you have a voice changer, that would help too."

"I understand," Dr. Agasa nodded solemnly, as he could feel the gravity of the situation, "And I should use your alias, Edogawa Conan, when I take you out of the hospital, right?"

"Yes, of course." Conan picked up his plastic knife and fork. "I think… we'll talk about my current 'state' with my parents tomorrow afternoon, at the Beika Train Station. Until then, please keep very quiet about all of this." Dr. Agasa grunted slightly in acknowledgement, and his worried frown remained in place as he left the hospital room and headed down to the underground parking lot.

"Ugh!" Conan made a disgusted face as he swallowed the last bite of his steak. 'The nurse was right! The steak is absolutely atrocious! Ran's mom can cook better than this, and that's saying something! Damn those men in black who put me here! I swear, one day they'll get their own taste of hospital food!'

After dinner, a nurse came in and helped him get ready for bed. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before climbing on to the padding. 'Whew! Glad that was taken care of! I'm so… so…' He yawned, and tears filled up his eyes. 'Tired… I need to sleep…' He pulled the bed sheets over him. 'Well, so far so good! I have Dr. Agasa's help, and now all I have to take care of is the police. But somehow, something doesn't feel right. Was everything from before was really just a dream during my three-day period of unconsciousness? According to the doctor and the facts I have I'd say yes. But how do I know that **this** is real world! For all I know I could be sleeping somewhere else and dreaming **this** up, unconscious because of a stupid truck…' He experimentally pinched himself and grimaced. 'Okay, so this isn't a dream. But what about my other "life"? I remember feeling pain several times in my so-called "life" before, and I'm feeling pain right now. So how can I tell which one is real? Ah! My head is numb again… Never mind, I'll think about it tomorrow, because I'm so… so…' He yawned again and closed his eyes for good. 'Tired…'

* * *

Conan woke up and opened his eyes, and the room was bright as day. In fact, it felt like a hundred suns were shining at once. 

'It's… it's so bright!' He struggled to get up, but felt pain all over instead. 'What's wrong with me? I'm aching all over! What are all those people doing here? Are they… doctors? Why are they working on me? Their faces are so serious, am I really hurt that badly? What am I doing in an operating room? I thought the only injuries I have are hairline fractures and a mild concussion! What's happening?'

"250cc of blood! Stat!" A man's warbled voice made its way into Conan's mind.

"He's losing blood pressure fast!" A woman's voice echoed in the distance, "His heartbeat's too erratic!"

"Kuso!" The man cursed under his breath. "Check the defibrillator; make sure it's on standby. You! Hurry up with the blood!" The voices and the noises started to fade out, and Conan was in dark, painless bliss again.

* * *

A/N: Major plotlines revealed in the last bit, and some of you have probably guessed it. (Kudos to you, Fyliwion, for getting it so early in the story! ; ) He, he, he! "Kudos"… I crack myself up. .) Well, dear readers, tell me what you think! By looking at where this story is heading, I'll probably change the genre from Mystery to Drama. By the way, I don't know if Case Closed had already broadcasted the episode with the "bath incident"; those who watch Detective Conan instead will be more likely to know what I'm talking about. ; ) 

To Ooshii Kurai---If you thought that Conan was in a state of panic, then of course the dialogue would seem strange. But Conan is actually in denial, not panic. When he said that he was Conan and not Shinichi, and the caller didn't press further about this matter, he gained some control in the situation and would be more worried than panicked. Also, to him the only person that he could think of who has the ability to put him in weird situations like this is Kaitou Kid. And since Conan's trying so hard to rationalize things, it is possible that he would identify the caller as Kid without a second thought. Because Kid has messed with his head before many times, it's not that hard to imagine that he would be too angry to hear what "Kid" has to say about his predicament. As for the caller, she didn't really fell the need to defend herself, so she would not interrupt. Just imagine her smug face as she looked at the angry detective who has mistaken her for the Kid. If you don't know who this mysterious girl is, just read back or read on.

P.S. Please list any other errors in my story if you have the time. I'd be glad to make corrections to my story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Detective Conan or Kaitou Kid characters. Sigh… I can only look on enviously at Gosho Aoyama's most treasured creations, since I can't touch them without breaking a few laws and/or getting killed in strange, almost perfect murders…

* * *

He bolted up from his bed to the sound of morning traffic and bird songs. His sweat permeated his hair and his pajamas.

'What? Where? Oh…' Conan's panting slowed down, and his mind cleared up as he recalled his everything. 'It's just a nightmare…I think.' He touched his head and felt a sharp, but minor sting. 'Yep! He, he! Just a nightmare! It's probably only the steak from my dinner.' The memory of the horrible taste was so indescribable there was nothing else for him to do except to grin sardonically. When he slowly made his way to the bathroom, he noticed that one of the beds beside him was occupied. The boy on the bed appeared to be sleeping peacefully, and his breathing was slow and even. Conan tentatively touched the boy's forehead and felt warmth, but the boy did not stir a bit to the stimulus. 'Out cold, like I had been for three days.' Conan grabbed his own chin in deep thought out of habit. 'But, I can't help but feel that all of it was real, even though I know dreams are supposed to be lifelike. The only way you can tell that it's a dream is when something unexplainable happens, like when you see a pink hippo flying above the middle of Tokyo, without wings.' Conan scowled as his thoughts immediately strayed to a certain thief he knew. 'However, having him in the world certainly complicates things exponentially. Kuso! How can he manage to annoy the hell out of me even when he's not around?' He growled and continued walking.

Conan's thoughts were a mess as he wondered about the different possibilities: he was dreaming, and now he's awake; he was awake, and he's now dreaming; he's awake in both cases, and just got transported back and forth somehow ('Not likely,' he thought.); he was never awake at all, and both worlds are just a dream, and so on. With a serious migraine, he opened the washroom door and entered. He splashed water onto his face to clear up his mind, and then he took a towel and wiped his face dry. He looked in the mirror and saw a disgruntled child staring back at him. 'Why do I even bother with this? It's nothing but nonsense. I think I've had enough. I'll just forget about the whole thing and move on!' As he headed back into the room, his eye caught the telephone, and he suddenly remembered something. 'Hey, wait! The girl from the phone call said something about my mind showing me what's to come… So does that mean I'm actually dreaming right now?' Conan mindlessly kicked a bedpost, and regretted it soon after. 'Itai! Yeah right! I can't believe I almost listened to a complete stranger! How stupid of me!'

"Ohayo! Little boy!" A nurse suddenly appeared beside him with a tray of breakfast. "Ara? You haven't hurt yourself, have you?"

Conan spun around in surprise and almost fell over. "O-Ohayo!"

* * *

Akako closed her eyes in intense concentration, and the image in her crystal orb reappeared once again.

"That was too close. I almost lost track of him." She breathed a sigh of relief and stared into the orb. A light footstep landed behind her and joined her on the rooftop. "So how is he doing in the real world right now?"

"He is currently in a very dangerous stage. There's no guarantee that he will make it through." Kaitou Kid lowered his hat, and the shadow from the rim covered up his eyes. "Plus, there is no way for me to use whatever powers the Pandora Gem has to help him since the moon is not full yet. I can only hope that he's strong enough to continue living for the next two days."

"So you came to me for help?" A slight smirk appeared on the corner of Akako's mouth. "You want me to use my powers to keep him alive until then?"

"…Yes." Kaitou Kid replied reluctantly, as he had never asked for help before.

"Very well. But you have to give me something in return. I can't keep on doing things for you for free, you know?" Akako fluttered her eyelashes innocently, only to be met by Kid's darkly furious gaze. She laughed it off and turned her back towards the thief. "Relax, I told you before I'm not interested in the Pandora Gem. All I want is hair."

"Hair?" The atmosphere around Kaitou Kid immediately went from intense anger to utmost intrigue.

"Yes, hair." Akako looked into the orb. "Six hundred and sixty-six freshly picked strands, each one from a different person. I think that's a reasonable price, ne?"

Kaitou Kid leaned back and asked, "When do you want it by?"

"Before dawn," Akako casually glanced at the stars, "You have less than three hours to get all six hundred and sixty-six. It's not too difficult for the great Phantom Thief, is it?"

A look of shock was about to emerge from Kuroba Kaito's face, but Kaitou Kid's poker face pressed it down before it could surface, and turned it into a confident, mischievous grin. "No problem."

* * *

'This is not good.' He looked out and saw a police car pulling into the hospital parking lot. Conan's doctor had contacted the police like the officers had asked him to do once the unconscious child was awake and well enough to answer questions. 'I can easily say that I was unconscious because some bad guys attacked me and hit me on the head---that's close enough to the truth. But how am I supposed to explain exactly why I had Kudo Shinichi's clothes on me without making Shinichi, who's actually me, seem like a total pervert?' He thought about the possible news headlines ("Kudo Shinichi, child molester, still at large. Police unable to track him down") and the corner of his mouth twitched. 'Nope, not gonna let that happen! Come on! Think! Why would I have clothes that would not fit me? I changed, because… my clothes were wet! Yeah! But why were they wet? How about… from falling into a nearby pond earlier! And how did I end up unconscious and why is Kudo Shinichi missing? The bad guys… err, came and tried to kidnap me. They hit me on the head, and before I passed out, I saw Shinichi-niichan fighting them and trying to chase them away! Yes! Perfect! I think…'

His heart quickened when he heard multiple footsteps starting to approach his room. He went over the lines in his head again and reassured himself that this was going to work. He licked his lips nervously and finished off the juice from his breakfast. The door opened, and a kindly, smiling Inspector Megure appeared before him.

"Ohayo! You must be Conan-kun! I'm Inspector Megure, and I'm very pleased to meet you!"

"H-hai!" Conan smiled brightly, "Pleased to meet you too! Are you here to hear me tell you about the bad guys? And Shinichi-niichan, too?"

"Ha, ha, ha! You're very a very bright one, aren't you?" Inspector Megure settled himself beside Conan and nudged his arm with his elbow playfully. "Tell me, how do you become so smart?"

"Ha, ha!" Conan laughed to cover up his ironic grin. 'Just learn things the old fashioned way and ingest some unknown drug to shrink yourself. Pretty easy, if I say so myself.' "I don't know! I just am!"

"That's too bad then." Inspector Megure looked around suspiciously and bent down to whisper into Conan's ears, "Because I know a few people around here---especially a certain private detective---who'd need the tip." Conan couldn't help but giggle along with the Inspector. "Well, don't worry though. The police are very smart, and we'll catch the bad guys who hit you and lock them in jail. But you have to tell us about them, okay?" Conan nodded, and remembered to look a bit afraid as he "recalled" the events of that day.

* * *

Kaitou Kid raced through downtown Tokyo and earned hundreds of cries as he plucked and dodged. Some of the cries were angry ("Hey! What the heck do you think you're doing grabbing people's hair like that?"), some of the cries were unusually excited ("Ah! I can't believe Kaitou Kid touched me! This is so cool! I love you, Kaitou Kid!"), and the rest were from the Kaitou Kid task force out hunting him down for the second time in twenty-four hours ("&$! Get back here! I'll teach you to mess with the police!"). The police radios blared behind him, but he just kept laughing and running. He stopped in the middle of a plaza, where a crowd gathered and formed a circle in anticipation of something dramatic.

'I think I have more than enough, but just to make sure…' Kaitou Kid grinned at the approaching hoard of policemen, who surrounded him within seconds. "It's a bit past your bedtime, isn't it, Nakamori-san? But since we're all here, how about some snacks? My treat. What would you like? Ice cream? Or perhaps you prefer some spicy squid balls?"

"End of the line, Kid! There's no way you're getting out of this plaza!" Nakamori's furious face showed a rare sign of satisfaction as he motioned his hands toward his officers. "We've got you completely surrounded in a low, open area. There's no way you can use your hang glider or hide amongst the crowd with your stupid disguises. Give it up!"

"Are you going to ruin such a nice night? I mean, I thought we could just hang out like a couple of buddies and just tour the town or watch the sunrise." He shrugged and shook his head. "I guess I should've known better. After all, you're not the type to loiter around and do nothing."

The veins on Nakamori's face were visible under the neon signs' light. "All right, men! Listen up! You, you, and you, go grab him! The rest of you stay back and be on your guard!"

"Huh, so you'd like me to stay over at your place instead? Not a bad idea, but I have other things planned for tonight. Maybe later." The three policemen charged at him, but Kaitou Kid did a somersault to flip out of the way, and then he snapped his fingers. "However, if you absolutely don't like to spend time alone, I guess I can lend you a few of my doves to keep you company." One by one, white birds started to appear out of nowhere. A few flew out of women's purses, some plopped out from under the three policemen's hats, and quite a number of others simply "poofed" out of thin air. Kaitou Kid blew a whistle, and the docile doves started to peck at people's heads, the Kaitou Kid Task Force's in particular. For the next few minutes, the plaza was filled with nothing but panicked shouts and a great storm of white.

"#& you, Kid!" Inspector Nakamori managed to blurt out as he protected himself with his hands, but all he got in reply was the fading laughter of Kaitou Kid. By the time the doves retreated and the plaza was clear of airborne threats, Kaitou Kid was gone from his sight.

Meanwhile, Kaitou Kid stood on top of a nearby building, unnoticed. His doves had all returned quietly with hair in their beaks. He petted each one of them as he took the hair and deposited the strands in a pickle jar. He smiled in amusement as one of the doves raised a wig in front of him. He peered down at the plaza and saw one of the police officers running around frantically trying to find something to cover up his balding head. "I guess I'll return this in due time, but for now…" He pocketed the wig. "I guess he'll just have to learn to appreciate his natural beauty." He laughed as he took off into the night, heading in Koizumi Akako's direction.

* * *

A/N: Gomen! I had a major writer's block for the past week (Thank goodness I remembered there's still Kaitou Kid! He's so much fun to write that I'd never have to worry about running out of ideas with him! .), and to make matters worse, my homework is starting to catch up with me. (Must memorize… biology… terms! Head… will… not… explode! Fear my will power!) Well, here it is. Hopefully it won't take another week for me to write another chapter. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Detective Conan or Kaitou Kid characters. In fact, I have to go to school, learn, and earn money the hard way since it's virtually impossible to try to threaten, blackmail, kidnap, or murder Mr. Aoyama because of his bodyguards, patrol dogs, and his latest security system, courtesy of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. On top of that, his fans would make short work of me if I ever did something to him. He had given them so much stuff to practice their detective skills with it's not even funny. I'll just have to bide my time like every good villain/evil author…

* * *

"I'm not going to scold you for causing us so much anxiety, or drag you by your feet and force you to go to someplace safe." Kudo Yusaku, or "Edogawa Kento", looked at Conan directly in the eyes. They were unnoticed by busy passers-by during the rush hour. "Instead, I'm going to offer you a choice. You can either come with us to America, where there are people I know that will track down this mysterious Organization you described and find a cure at the same time. Or," As a train left and the noise covered up the rest of the station's sounds, he paused in emphasis and looked darkly at Conan, as if to dissuade him from picking the second choice. "You can stay here and risk your life, take responsibility, and in return receive the most accurate information and be able to actually do something about your situation."

"What are you talking about?" "Edogawa Fumiyo", who was really Kudo Yukiko in disguise, looked aghast. Her expression managed to grab the attention of a high school couple who looked like they just finished shopping at downtown Tokyo. "Of course he's coming with us! There's no way I'm letting him stay here all by himself! I'm pretty sure the agencies can handle things on their own. Besides, he's only a boy! There's only so much he can do, and I don't want to lose him over some leads on a few shady characters!"

"This is his decision to make," Kento firmly stated, "I know for a fact that he has the ability to solve this problem, he just has to be more careful. I don't want him to stay here either, but he's old enough to make decisions about his life. And even he didn't handle himself too well this time, we still have to respect that and give him a chance to rectify it. We can't simply whisk him away to a new place every time he faces a problem, and especially not when he has both the ability and will to overcome it." He turned back to Conan, who looked at the tiled ground. "However, if things get to complicated for you to handle, I want you to contact us right away, and we'll send help to you. This is assuming that you've made your decision already? You're not coming with us, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Conan spoke softly, "Like you said, I made a bad decision and I want to make things right again. Besides, there are people here that I have to protect. I just can't sleep soundly knowing that I'm too far away or too powerless to do something if something happened to them. It may be risky, but I want to be here so that I can take down the Organization as quickly and quietly as possible. It's not that I don't trust the ability of the international agencies you speak of, but they're simply too big to be sure that there are no spies among them. If the Organization were alerted of an operation against them, they'll be forced to surface much too quickly. There's no way to tell what they might do in order to win. I don't want any more lives destroyed because of them." Kento nodded silently to this, and turned around.

"We'll send you the proper documents so you can settle in without a hitch. If there's anything else you need, you know our numbers. Just… play it safe, okay?" Kento looked back at Conan, who nodded back.

"But…" Fumiyo protested, and was hushed by Kento.

"He'd never forgive us if we forced him," Kento put an arm around Fumiyo and started walking. "And she'd never forgive him if he just left without telling her why. We both know that. If it will ease your mind, I'll contact a few trusted agents as soon as we get back. I'll even make sure to reveal only the more vital details so that his secret remains safe with us. I'm pretty sure he'd appreciate some help, even if he didn't ask for them." Fumiyo looked worriedly at the retreating child, and sighed reluctantly. The two of them disappeared into the crowd just as another train arrived at the station.

"So what happened? What did they say to you?" Dr. Agasa asked through the open window of his Volkswagen.

"The decided to let me stay here, and they'll have the paperwork I need ready for me. I can't say that they're terribly happy about my decision, though." Conan sighed, opened the door to the yellow car and got in. "I'd like to go home now, if it's not too much trouble. I'd like to get some of my stuff together before we head to Ran's."

"Are you sure you have enough money on you to pay the fare?" Dr. Agasa grinned mischievously as he drove out of the parking lot.

"Are you sure you can keep it for more than ten minutes without spending it on parts for a useless invention?" Conan brightened up and returned the mischievous grin. He put his arms behind his head and enjoyed his view of Dr. Agasa's annoyed and embarrassed expression.

* * *

"Here's the hair you requested." Kaitou Kid plopped the pickle jar full of hair down in front of Akako and her crystal ball.

"And then some." Akako raised an eyebrow as she opened the jar.

"Impressive, and just from looking at it once." said Kaitou Kid. 'How the hell does she know how many strands of hair are in the jar?' Thought Kuroba Kaito.

"Good, now I can begin the ritual." Akako grabbed some pink powder from a bag and started drawing ancient, sinister-looking runes around her in a circle.

"Is that roses I smell?" Kid frowned a little. "And here I thought such evil-looking symbols had to be written in blood or something equally morbid."

"Rose petals have some magical properties that are similar to blood, and those properties are what I need for this ritual." Akako smiled cheerfully, well, as cheerfully as a witch well versed in the dark arts can be. "Besides, don't you think that pink is a much nicer color than dark red?"

"Actually, I do." For a rare moment, Kaitou Kid smiled genuinely back at Koizumi Akako. "It just never occurred to me that you'd be a fellow aficionado of the color pink."

"There are many things that you don't know about me, Kuroba-san." Akako placed the jar in the center of the circle as a pentagon star glowed into existence around it. "But you're welcome to come closer and reach deeper into my mind and soul. I'd be more than happy to share some of my more… intimate secrets with you."

"Not while I'm on the job, sorry." Kaitou Kid lowered the brim of his hat. "And I'm also sorry that you cannot seem to remember that my name is Kaitou Kid, not Kuroba."

"Oh, alright then. I'll call you Kaitou Kid, if you insist. No need to get harsh." Akako laughed and her voice rang out pleasantly, and if it were another male that had been standing where Kaitou was standing, he would have melted right on the spot from sheer ecstasy. "Well, unfortunately, this part of the ritual still needs some blood. I think my blood will do just fine, unless… you're willing to donate?"

"I'll pass." Kaitou Kid replied, "A thief should never leave behind evidence of his presence unless it is necessary."

"Like irritating Nakamori-keibu, for example?" The corner of Akako's mouth curled in amusement as she pricked her finger with a pin and put a drop of blood in the jar of hair.

"Amongst various other things, yes." Kid chuckled, and the prankster named Kuroba Kaito almost took over control were it not for the monocle that served as a reminder as to who he was at that moment. "So, what is the hair for?"

"Each strands acts like a gateway between the person it is from and the person I'm performing the ritual on, which, in this case, is your friend. The one with the greater life force will of course channel energy to the weaker one, like how water levels out between two interconnected containers. But a single strand of hair can only do so much before it expires and can no longer serve as a gateway, so a lot of hair is needed. I could have asked you to grab as much hair from a single person, but that would probably kill him if this ritual fails or your friend dies. That's why as a safety precaution, I asked you to grab hair from different people. And with this much hair, I think the magic should be enough to last two, no, three days." Akako stepped out of the circle but never kept her concentration off the jar glowing in gold. "Your friend's body should be fine for now. However, I cannot say the same thing for his state of mind. It's been quite unstable recently."

"Interesting… Black magic 101…" Kaitou Kid muttered, and then spoke loudly and confidently as he turned around, "Well, there's no need to worry about his mind," He stepped towards the edge of the roof, "He's very brilliant, and very stubborn to match. He'll pull through. Thanks again for the help."

"Don't mention it." Akako said to the empty and crisp morning air.

* * *

He felt, for the first time since he woke up in the hospital, extremely cheated. Sure, he had basically reestablished his place in the world just like before. The police knew him on friendly terms, Dr. Agasa was helping him with his gadgets, his parents had agreed to arrange for his legal documents after their meeting at the train station, and "Ran-neechan" greeted him just as warmly as ever.

'But this… is simply… too much… to… bear!' He forcibly plastered a grin onto his otherwise sullen face as he greeted his "new" classmates from the front of the room. 'I… cannot… go through elementary school… for the freakin'** THIRD** time!'

"Conan-kun! Conan-kun! Come sit here with me!" A girl called out as Conan walked to what would've been his usual spot. "Nice to meet you, my name is Ayumi!"

"I'm Genta!" A big, rice ball-shaped kid boomed.

"And I'm Mitsuhiko!" A freckled boy popped up beside Genta.

"Nice to meet you too!" Conan acted as cheery as he could for the "freakin' **THIRD** time" before he thought of something. 'Huh, how strange. Why are their names the same as the ones from my dream? Did I somehow gain ESP during my coma?' His smile dropped to a disbelieving grin. 'Wait, how come that plotline sounds vaguely familiar?'

"All right, class! It's time to begin our math lesson!" The teacher said, "Please pull out your textbook and go to page twenty-five."

Conan looked at the equations and thanked the school board for changing their textbook editions every five years so this is only the second time that he had to do these questions. 'Some consolation… But it still bugs me how I would know all of these things if I've never actually been here before. Could that strange girl be right? I probably shouldn't go back to this line of thinking, but this new piece of evidence points back to the original question: am I really in a dream world? If that's the case, why the hell did she tell me about it and simply left it at that without giving me something more concrete? What is it that she hopes to accomplish? I certainly don't have any idea how to get myself out if that's what she wanted me to do. I like to know the truth, but it's just plain cruel to tell it to someone without explaining how or why! For example: why me? How do I get out of this place? And, am I really psychic?' He looked around for an answer, but saw, heard, and felt no sign of the weird or supernatural. He sighed dejectedly and went back to the bored kid routine that he was so used to…

"Edogawa Conan, you may be new to this class, but you still have to pay attention!"

…Until he remembered that the teacher was not used to his routine, not even a single, happy, bit. 'Crap! I forgot about this! And the last time this happened I slipped up and stupidly proved to her that I know these lessons by heart! That was not something that helped to keep my cover! I'll just have to take it with clenched teeth this time, I guess.'

"I understand that you have just moved here and are not used to the way things work around here. But you have to remember that our school takes discipline and respect very seriously, and you're showing neither of those right now! Shape up and consider this a warning!"

"H-hai!" Conan answered, and earned a roomful of snickers from his fellow classmates. His face went red as he lowered his head scribbled down his homework madly. 'Whew! That was close! Kuso! How can laughter from a bunch of little kids manage to embarrass me? This is so not cool! I want out, out of this body, and out of this place! And I want it NOW!'

"You have until the end of this period to finish the work, the rest will be for homework. Those that finish early can get out their art supplies for the next lesson." The teacher turned to the board and wrote down their assignments. Conan finished his assignments before the teacher even put down her chalk and got out his supplies. He looked up at the clock: thirty-four minutes of pure nothingness, a great void without thought, deterioration of neurons in the brain, melting of the mind...

'I seriously hope I don't have ESP, because that would just simply ruin the off chance that this is all just a bad dream.' He banged his head on the table and stayed there…

"Are you finished so soon, Edogawa Conan? Let me see your workbook. If I find a single question wrong or unanswered, you will stay after school for sleeping in class!"

…And the icy voice of the teacher drilled his head into place, firmly attaching it to the wooden board for the rest of eternity. 'Kuso… Not again… A new record though… I've managed to hide my actual intelligence for a grand total of nine minutes, fifty-four seconds. Not bad if I say so myself…' He sighed to relieve some of his stress, but only managed to raise the carbon dioxide level of the classroom. 'Is it Friday yet...?'

* * *

A/N: Summer! VA! CA! TION! W007! Yep! True to my words, I didn't take another week to write this chapter: I took three! O.O; But I didn't get a writer's block, I simply took my time to edit and extend this chapter, so hopefully this appears to be more refined than my previous chapters. Oh, BTW, Google: "ESP coma TV OR movie" if don't already know what Conan was talking about. ; ) 


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **(Whines like he's the one who invented whining, when in fact it was invented by some kid from ancient China.) Do I have to?

**Lawyer:** …Yes.

**Disclaimer:** (Rolls on the floor and beats all four limbs on it in frustration.) But I've said this so many times! This is like the sixth time already! They must know by now!

**Lawyer:** I don't care. (Takes out copyright paper and points) Just do it… or else.

**Disclaimer:** (Sighs and then speaks in monotone) "I do not own any of the Detective Conan or Kaitou Kid characters." There, happy now?

**Lawyer:** No.

**Disclaimer:** What else do you want from me? (Rocks back and forth in the fetal position and starts sobbing)

**Lawyer:** Your soul… (Starts growing horns as flames spun around and upwards from the floor) Bwahahaha!

**Disclaimer: **Holy crap! (Runs out of the door while wetting his pants)

**Lawyer:** … Heh, heh, heh! (Takes off his makeup and costume, revealing a satisfied-looking Gosho Aoyama doing a victory sign)

* * *

"Doctor, how is he?" Ran stood up and looked with hopeful eyes at the man in a bloodstained green gown. 

"He's stabilized, for now," The doctor took off his mask. Kogoro, who had been standing behind Ran, noticed the appended words and sighed not in relief, but rather in acceptance. His frown never once relaxed as he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulders. The doctor took off his operating gloves and looked somber, he lowered his head before taking his hair cover off. "But there's a very high chance that he's not going to last." Ran gasped and covered her mouth, and her gentle eyes swelled with tears. "We've done everything we could… He's just… too far-gone. I'm… sorry." Ran turned and sobbed on her father's shoulders. Kogoro closed his eyes for a brief moment and patted her back.

"Can… can we see him now?" Kogoro looked up and spoke with the calm of forced indifference. The doctor nodded and pointed at one of the doors not far down the hall.

"Just try not to disturb him too much. He's already hanging by a thread now."

"Doctor!" A nurse ran into sight from an intersecting hall and gestured hurriedly with her hands.

"Excuse me." The doctor ran towards the nurse and followed her.

"Conan… Conan's going to die?" Ran sobbed through the fabric of Kogoro's suit.

"Let's just go see him now, okay?" Kogoro softly stroked his daughter's hair to calm her down a little. Ran nodded slowly.

* * *

"I'm back!" Conan walked into Mouri Kogoro's office with head and shoulders drooped low in weariness. 

"If you're looking for Ran, she's upstairs doing God knows what." Kogoro managed to raise his head in a drunken stupor to look at the clock. It took him a few moments to register the significance of "5:04 p.m." "What! It's five already?" His eyes opened in shock as he hurriedly turned on the television. A blush colored his happy, alcohol-reddened face into a nice shade of crimson as he squealed like a little girl. "Yoko!"

'Che! That man will probably live a long life despite his chronic drinking and smoking.' Conan leered at Kogoro with the utmost disrespect before heading up the stairs. He stopped in his tracks when he saw various audio/video recordings and newspaper clippings scattered throughout the living room. 'What the heck…?'

_Yesterday afternoon:_

"_Moshi moshi?" Ran's tired and sad voice came on the line. He hesitated a little, but raised his bowtie started to speak._

"_Ran."_

"_Shinichi?" He could simply hear Ran perk up and open her teary, but now happy eyes._

"_Hi," He couldn't think of anything else to begin with. 'Stupid! This is the first chance you've had to really talk to her as Shinichi (well, kind of) and you just say "hi"? Come on, man!' "I'm sorry that I didn't call earlier, I've been… busy."_

"_Of course you're sorry!" The anger and relief reached out of the phone and yanked on Conan's conscience. "You just ran off and disappeared for three days! We looked everywhere for you! Even the police are looking for you! Where are you?" The desperation in the last three words seized and squeezed Conan's heart until it hurt, and just about destroyed any resolution that Conan had at the beginning of the phone call._

"_I… I can't tell you right now, I-" Shinichi's voice tried to continue but was cut off._

"_What do you mean you can't tell me?" Ran was almost sobbing the words, "Why can't you tell me where you are? When are you coming home?" Conan was silent. To be honest, he had no clue when everything will be fine. "I was so worried about you… I miss you…" The last words were muttered in slight embarrassment. Shinichi was confused as to what to feel. He longed to hear her voice and how she cares about him, but at the same time he didn't wanted to know anything about her pain. Conan, on the other hand, mentally slapped Shinichi and turned this confusion into determination._

"_Listen, Ran," Conan picked up the pieces of his resolution and tried once again, and his tone was serious like none other. "I can't come home because I really am in trouble." A gasp came from the other end. "You know those guys in black I followed at Tropical Island? They tried to kill me."_

"_Oh, no! Shinichi…Why…?"_

"_No, just listen, this is important." Conan grimaced a little at cutting off Ran like that, but continued nonetheless. "The good news is that they think I'm dead, and that gives me both protection and the element of surprise. The bad news is I have to stay low for a while, and I can't come home until they are caught. You listening, Ran?"_

"_Yes." Sniffling and rustling of tissues betrayed what strength Ran had planned to put into her voice._

"_Good. Now this is the most important part: Don't tell **anyone** that I'm alive! Don't even mention a word about this phone call to your father or the police!" He looked warily outside of the phone booth through the glass. A few pedestrians walked by without ever glancing his way._

"_But who's going to help you? You're all alone!"_

"_No, I'm not." Ran's panicked breathing evened out a little so she could hear what Shinichi had to say. "My parents are going to help me, and same with Dr. Agasa. But that's about it, because the fewer that knows about this, the better. This is how dangerous these guys are. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes, but," Ran suddenly burst out, "I want to help, too!"_

"_What?" Conan's eyes opened up as his deepest fear was about to be realized, "No, don't even think about coming with me or… or searching all of Japan for guys dressed in black! You'll get yourself killed!" _

"_I heard you the first time, baka!" Conan was taken aback by the unexpected force of her words, and sweated a little. "You already told me that they're dangerous! And I know that you probably have people that are helping you get these guys, but I have to do something myself, because… because…"_

"_Uh… because what?" Conan's tentative question immediately received a response, full blast._

"_Because I care about you, you insensitive baka!"_

'_Ow! My ears… Well, I did ask for it. But man!' His eyes were as round as the moon as he sat on the floor of the phone booth recuperating from his ringing ears._

"_You can't expect me to do nothing! I'm your best friend **and** a detective's daughter!"_

"_But how exactly are you going to help me? I mean, there's not much for you to do!"_

"_I… I'll think of something! Just trust me… like I trust you." For a moment, Conan was speechless and he felt something indescribable welling up within him._

"_Ran…" The orange sun of the late afternoon lit up his face, and a sad smile reflected off the phone booth's glass panels. The flow of traffic outside thickened as rush hour approached and everyone was heading home to family and loved ones._

"_You probably have things to do now," A sniff was accompanied by a seemingly lighthearted chuckle. "And I have to get started on dinner. Remember to call me when you can, okay?"_

"_Okay."_

"_Come back soon, Shinichi."_

"_I will." He hung up after the click, and opened up the door of the phone booth. He headed back to Mouri's Detective Agency as Conan, the little kid who had just finished playing video games at Dr. Agasa's house. The sun started to set behind him, and everything in its light turned blood red._

Now:

He looked at the scattered newspaper clippings displayed in front of him. Most of them were about him and the cases he had solved. Some were cases the police had worked on in other areas of Japan. In a neat stack on the table were cases that had pictures of men dressed in black in the background, and in another were articles that actually mentioned "mysterious men in black" and had various details highlighted in yellow. The third stack consisted of pictures and articles about unsolved cases that had no apparent perpetrators. 'So this is what she's doing.' Conan massaged the ridge of his nose. 'A little redundant though if you ask me, because my parents have probably already asked all the agencies they know of to help me despite what I said to them, and they would have done this by now. But, if this makes her feel better...' He heard the toilet flush and saw the bathroom door open.

"Hey, you're home!" Ran came out and smiled brightly at Conan.

"Hi, Ran-neechan! What's all this?"

"Oh, just doing some homework for my socials class!" Ran looked sheepish and started to clean up the room hurriedly. 'Oops! I should have cleaned up before he got home! I hope he doesn't notice anything unusual, like how this is all about Shinichi! He's supposed to be unnoticed by the world, remember?' She broke into a sweat out of nervousness and was determined not to look Conan in the eye as she put the articles into a box.

'Nice try! Too bad it's going to be hard to keep your cover.' Conan smirked mischievously behind Ran's back and picked up the clippings on Kudo Shinichi. "Wow, I didn't know that Shinichi-niichan is part of your social studies course! Did you learn about him in elementary school as well?" If Conan didn't force himself he probably would have burst into laughter right then. 'Sorry, Ran. But I just can't resist!'

"What? I, you see, well," Ran was stuttering in shock that Conan saw exactly what she didn't want him to see. "I'm supposed to, uh, do an essay about crime in Japan. And it just happens so that Shinichi-niichan has solved a lot of cases. It's just coincidence, really! Ha, ha, ha!"

'Wow, nice one!' "Oh! Okay, then, if you say so, Ran-neechan!" He smiled innocently and helped clean up the mess.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Ran's back was soaked with sweat. 'Whew, I thought I had blown it. Wait, what am I saying? He's just a kid! A sharp, unusual kid, but nothing more!'

* * *

'Kudo, you fool.' Ai touched the glass window of the IC unit, where Ran was crying softly by Conan's bed. 'You were so close to them that you forgot that the world itself is also a danger to you. Blinded by your own confidence, you burnt your wings and fell into the deep abyss… How tragic. Well, I suppose everything has to come to an end. It just happens so that yours came a bit early, that's all… But, why am I crying?' Ai wiped a small drop from her eye and looked at it; it glistened softly on the tip of her index finger before being crushed by her thumb. 'No more of this. I won't do this to myself again.' 

She took one last look at Conan, and then left the hospital in silence.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm ALIVE! Thank you, thank you very much. It's been such a long time that I'm getting a little emotional talking to old friends. (Fakes crying) If you're asking where I've been… well, let's just say I've had some time training. I COULD have used the hyperbolic time chamber, but I think I'm saving that for an emergency of some sort. Anyway, it's time for some shameless self-promotion! I'm currently working on a Wild Arms fanfic with original cast and storyline, so even if you aren't a fan or don't even know what Wild Arms is, you should still check it out. It's some good writing! Yum! (PS: Most of this chapter has been written before my hiatus, so you'll probably notice a bit of a difference in style for my next chapter.) 


	7. Chapter 7

**Conan: **(Points at the author) The murderer is you!

**Disclaimer: **(Points at himself and sweats) What? Me?

**Conan: **No! The guy behind you!

**Disclaimer: **Oh! Ahahaha! (Face faults and sweats even more) Ahhh! It's the killer! (Runs to safety while Conan deals with the murderer using excessive force) By the way, I don't own DC or any of its characters! Ahhh!

* * *

He lay back on his pillow with a gigantic thud and sighed deeply. Just like the Kogoro he knew back in the other world… dream… reality… whatever, this one was just as bad. The clues were glaringly obvious, and the murder weapon was a simple one, but no matter how much Conan tried to give out hints, the stupid old fool just wouldn't take. So he had to knock him out again (although technically it was the first time, maybe) and do all the work for him. On top of that, Conan had just realized that Kogoro's so-called fame did not exist at all, so he had to rebuild it for him all over again if he wanted to use the old man to get anywhere.

He turned his head around to look at the room. The same old small place generously given to him by the Great Mouri Kogoro was filled, once again, with Shinichi's old toys and hand-me-downs. And his hidden collection of newspaper clippings had to be, once again, started from scratch. Once again, once again, and once again did his fist bang on the soft bed out of frustration. 'It's the same old things… nothing has changed. And it's beginning to feel like nothing ever will.' But something did change, though he did not want to admit it.

On one of the newspaper clippings, he saw a little girl's photo, and beside the picture was a title in bold print, nothing too fancy or outstanding, but just enough to catch your attention if you scanned slowly enough through the original newspaper. Apparently a girl had been killed by a kidnapper at a nearby middle school, and ordinarily Conan wouldn't have been bothered by this kind of thing; murders simply happen, and he had no power to stop every one of them no matter how much he wanted to. But this one… this one he had stopped before, but because he had been in a coma this time around, he wasn't there to save her. He still remembered the little girl's smile when she had been alive, but it was disheartening to see that smile once again in black and white on page B3 of the newspaper. He turned to face the wall; he had to sleep no matter what, 'Tomorrow is another day for me to search for the Black Organization again, and I can't stop now.'

* * *

A blinding light flashed down into his eyes.

'Not again!' Conan mentally braced himself, but felt no pain and heard no shuffling of medical equipment; the bright light was only the sun this time. He relaxed and realized that he had been holding his arms in front of his face to protect himself from some unknown danger. He laughed a little at his own silliness, but he soon stifled his own laughter in a startling realization.

He bolted right out of bed, stumbling for a bit, and looked at his room. No, this wasn't his room, this was Shinichi's. He dashed to the bathroom and looked in the mirror; a tall young man stared back at him. The young man, whose hands touched his own handsome face, gasped silently at this feeling.

'My voice… my body… I'm… back.' He turned around and walked out of the bathroom, and headed back to his room. 'But how? Is this a dream? Was the one from before a dream? And was the first one a dream within a dream? I can't… take this.' He glanced at the calendar hanging on his bedroom wall; red crosses marked the days in neat rows, but ended when a red circle appeared on one of the squares. He stopped abruptly and looked at what was written in the circle: Date with Ran. 'No, it can't be… Wait, I haven't made any marks on this calendar since my transformation, so this could just mean that I have taken an antidote. Yeah! So if I go downstairs, I would find Ai writing her notebook and recording my conditions.' He walked gingerly down the stairs, but to his disappointment, he did not see anyone. What he did see was the cup of milk he left on the table the day before the date with Ran.

His pale hands shook as he took the handle of the cup and lifted it up from the living room table. He held his breath and looked at the cup as if it were a bomb, and brought it close to his nose. 'It hasn't gone bad… But then…' Just then, the doorbell rang, and he almost spilled the day-old milk on himself. He ran to the door but paused in hesitation when he reached for the doorknob. 'It's… her! What will I say to her? What do I do with all of this?' He wanted to scream out, but instead, he pulled the door open slowly.

"Hey! Good morning sleepy head! I see you're still in your pajamas… What's wrong? You look pale; are you sick?" Ran reached up with a hand to test Shinichi's forehead. "You don't have a fever… So are you just scared of the date you have ahead of you?" Ran smiled teasingly in an attempt to seem superior to Shinichi, although a small tinge of embarrassment showed up on her face nonetheless.

"No, I'm fine," said Shinichi out of his stupor, "Just give me a second to change."

"You're always making me wait!" Ran huffed and put her hands on her hips to scold him. "Lucky for you that I have loads of patience, otherwise you'd have no friends at all, you detective otaku!" Ran took her shoes off and followed Shinichi into the house; the door clicked to a close behind them.

* * *

He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up; the soft glow of its end blended in perfect harmony with the setting sun. He breathed the smoke out expressionlessly, and pulled out a black cell phone. The phone beeped inconspicuously against the sounds of traffic down below as he dialed, and then the phone on the other end started to ring.

"This is Gin. I'm in position." He spoke into the phone without any sign of emotions; the black trench coat he wore billowed in the wind. "Understood, Gin out." He put away his cell phone into his pocket and opened up the briefcase lying by his feet, and then he started to set up a sniper rifle near the edge of the rooftop. This wasn't going to be too difficult; although the target has evaded the grasp of both the police and the Organization numerous times, the rate of his appearances had increased dramatically in the past few days, and those occurrences were concentrated in the same area, which meant easy target practice.

He chuckled coldly and without smiling after he had finished setting up, and then he pulled the cigarette away from his mouth and exhaled another cloud of smoke. "It really is nice up here, so close to heaven itself… No wonder that bastard flies around all the time." He threw the cigarette down into the traffic below and watched as the rest of it burned up in the wind. "Well, I think I'll do him a favor tonight and send him just a bit higher. Hehehe…"

* * *

He splashed cold water onto his face and breathed deeply.

'Okay, this is going from bizarre to downright creepy.' He watched the water droplets running down his chin and wetting his shirt. 'It's like every time I wake up I end up in a different time and place. What exactly could be causing this? I know it's not Kaitou Kid; no matter how good he is at illusions, there's no way he can change me back into my original form like this. From the looks of it, it's not Ai's doing either because according to the date, she has not made her appearance around here yet. And I seriously doubt it's Dr. Agasa, or Hattori's special alcohol, although I think I can use some right now.'

"Are you done yet?" Ran's voice penetrated the bathroom door.

"Almost done here!" he answered back. This thinking was getting him nowhere; he had to eventually go out to check things out anyway. He dried his face with his towel and opened the bathroom door.

"Look at you! Your shirt is all wet!" Ran fussed over him and used her handkerchief to dab at the wet spots on Shinichi's shirt. "Seriously, what happened to you? You're so out of it today…" She stopped when Shinichi grabbed her hand with both of his hands. "Shinichi…?" She blushed slightly when he pulled her fingers close to his face and kissed them. "Wh-What are you doing?" She pulled her hand away hurriedly and turned her back to him in embarrassment.

"It… felt so real." Shinichi touched his own lips gently and whispered, "This is not a dream, but… neither were the ones from before. So what is going on?" Ran shifted her head a little and looked at him curiously; her face was still a bit red. Then he suddenly hugged her and almost knocked the breath out of her.

"Ah! I… Shinichi! Stop it!" She tried to push him away, but relented when he wouldn't let go.

"God, I hope that this is real!" He muttered into her shoulder as he smelled her fragrant hair, "Please let this be real… Don't send me anywhere else… Let me stay." Ran sputtered and didn't know what to say; her face became as red as a tomato when she heard his words of affection. Then she finally decided to relax a little and touched his arms, which were wrapped around her waist.

"Are you okay?" She asked for the third time, but a much gentler tone found its way into her voice.

"Yes, I am." He still did not let her go. "Even if it's just for today… I'll stay with you no matter what!" Her embarrassment gauge went off the chart, and all she could do at this point was smile, even though she did not know why she smiled.

"Okay, okay! I believe you!" She was finally able to pull away a little and look at him; his eyes were misty, and if she didn't know better she would have thought that he was going to cry. "Now can we go?" He smiled back and nodded; he took his jacket with his left hand and held her hand with his right, and then they headed out the door.

* * *

He smirked inwardly as he saw them trying to hide themselves; it was just such a futile thing to do in front of the master of illusions. They didn't notice him like he had noticed them, of course, because as far as anyone around was concerned, he was just another old man heading home with a bag of groceries.

'So you've finally come out of hiding, huh? No doubt your boss is trying everything he can to get his grubby little hands on this little gem that I have here.' He hacked a rough cough as he headed to the bus stop; a few courteous people at the line up let him through to the front of row. "Thank you," he wheezed and smiled gratefully. 'Let's see… I just passed one in the line up; there's another one around that corner store; two of them are talking in front of the theater; and… oh? What's this? They've even gotten a sniper on top of that skyscraper! Another troop just for me... that makes two now.'

A bus squeaked to a stop, and he pulled out a few coins and dropped it in the collecting machine before taking a seat in the front. He lost himself among the crowd and went safely on his way home. 'Maybe in another five years I can have a whole army chasing me all over the world… Now **that** would be very interesting indeed.' He couldn't suppress a mischievous smirk; luckily, nobody on the bus noticed that peculiar smile, or any self-respecting Kid fan would have recognized him at once.

* * *

"Be careful, Kuroba-san." Akako looked intently at the jar, and the hair inside it started to disappear one by one. "Now, one mistake can cost the lives of two, and perhaps even more… A great danger lurks above us all and the end will come soon, no matter what the outcome may be." The sky blackened into the gentle night, and the glitter of the city lights mirrored the millions of stars above. The moon was almost at its fullest.

* * *

**A/N:** Can you believe this? I'm updating again and I wrote this in one day… If I set the standard too high for myself I'll have to keep this up… Better take it easy for the next few days. (Dodges a broom) Just kidding! Hmm, even though I said this chapter would be better, I can't say that it is because I'm too close to it to be objective. So write a review! Tell me what you see and whether or not you think that the writing has improved compared with the previous chapters. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Detective Conan or any of its characters. If I did, the plot would not drag on for 50+ volumes and more anime episodes than you can count. I want see all the issues resolved, dammit! …Wait, I'm sorry, don't hurt me! NO!

* * *

"…5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" A wall of water shot up all round them, and a rainbow appeared above their heads under the bright sun. Ran's face lit up as she spun around to see this beautiful scene. "Like it? It's my gift to you for winning the championships! Pretty neat, huh?" 

"Oh, don't get so cocky!" Ran smirked and elbowed Shinichi lightly, who let out a small oomph and a chuckle.

"Anyway, congratulations to you," Shinichi took out his can of coke and raised it in the air; Ran did the same. "Cheers!" Two clicks and bubble-covered faces later, the couple giggled uncontrollably as the wall of water lowered.

* * *

He looked in through the hallway window and saw her sleeping with her head on the little boy's bed. Hidden behind a man's grey jacket that covered her back and part of her face were two streams of tears that had yet to dry. The owner of the jacket was nowhere to be seen and was most likely getting a drink at a nearby vending machine and debating with himself whether to choose the usual or have a cup of coffee and actually sobering up for once. He touched the window; a shadowy image of a weary middle-aged man looked back at him. 

'Hang in there, kid,' He pulled his fingers back from the cold glass and grabbed the cart in front of him. 'Only another day to go…' The janitorial cart rolled silently down the hospital hall and passed the owner of the grey jacket, who had a cup of warm coffee in his hand.

* * *

He paused in deep thought for the briefest of moments before tapping the lady in front of him on the shoulders and whispering, "Miss, may I speak to you for a moment in private?" The lady, taken aback by his seriousness, looked at him and hesitated a little. "Please, this is important." She finally nodded and stepped out of the lineup with him. 

"Shinichi? Where are you going?" Ran looked confused and a little worried as the lineup moved ahead toward the roller coaster's loading bay. "We're going on in a few minutes!"

"Don't worry, this won't take too long!" Shinichi smiled and called back before turning back to the woman he led out of the lineup. "Miss, may I ask what the line in your necklace is made out of?"

"What?" The woman widened her eyes and paled; her eyes darted to the side before she laughed forcedly and grabbed her pearl necklace. "What are you talking about, silly boy? It's just string, like any other necklace…"

"Don't try to lie, I know what you're up to, and I'd advise you against it." Shinichi looked firmly in her eyes, which wavered again. "I'm a detective, and I know this kind of stuff when I see them."

"Who… Just who do you think you are?" The woman hissed angrily at him.

"Kudo Shinichi, high-school detective." The woman sweated nervously and widened her eyes even more. "By your expression I guess that you have heard of me, but that's hardly the point. What I'm trying to say here is that murder is never the answer, especially if it's a matter of the heart." Ran's impatient call turned Shinichi's head back to the roller coaster. "I'll be there in a sec! …Anyway, I can't stop you right now because I can't accuse you of something without further evidence, but I do hope that you think about this once more before you do anything drastic… Okay, okay! I'm coming! …Looks I have to go now, have a nice day, Miss." He hurried back to the lineup and left a lost-looking woman who had tears slipping slowly down her face in the shades of a nearby tree.

"What did you do?" Ran looked at him accusingly.

"Eh?"

"You pulled that woman aside and said something to her, and now she's crying." Ran frowned heavily as they moved along in the lineup. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing! I just told her what some man told me to say to her when I saw her!" Shinichi raised his hands in defense and watched Ran's carefully for any indication of a bone-crushing kick or a gut-decimating punch.

"Where did you meet the man and what exactly did you say to her?" Ran put her hands on her waist and leaned in threateningly.

"The man came up to me when you went to the bathroom while I was holding our place in the lineup, and he told me to say, 'The flowers, once withered, will never bloom again…' That's all!" Shinichi smiled pleadingly and glanced around at the people staring at them; Ran looked suspiciously at him before loosening up her stance.

"Excuse me, if you're not riding then please get out of the way." The conductor of the ride finally saw it safe to intrude upon the conversation. "A lot of the passengers are waiting for the ride too, you know." Ran blushed as she realized that there were no more people in front of her and she was holding the ride up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… Look what you made me do, Shinichi!" Ran's snapped at him as she sat down in the coaster with a red face. "So they were just breaking up… But what a corny thing to say! That man must either be very old or have no taste at all."

"Well, he IS kind of middle-aged." Shinichi grinned in relief that Ran believed every word he said. 'Lying to her again… Oh well, at least this time I'm not hurting her feelings.'

"And why did you have to agree to do it? It's not like it's any of your business, you know!" The safety bars clipped down upon the passengers as safety instructions came on over the loading bay's speakers.

"It's not like I have a choice! The man left before I could refuse him!" The roller coaster jerked forward and accelerated toward the first hill. 'Not to mention that a life was at stake…'

"Yeah, yeah, fine!" Ran looked to the side and sniffed. "Just be thankful that's as far as you're involved in, otherwise I'll really have to hurt you!" The ride slowed its ascent as they reached the crest of the hill.

"And why's that?" Shinichi feigned ignorance and looked at Ran deeply in the eyes with his ocean-blue spheres. Ran sputtered and glowed bright red. And she could not tell whether her heart raced because of the rapidly falling coaster or the feelings that she had for the young man sitting beside her.

* * *

'Stupid brat…' Mouri Kogoro sat and stared at the limp body of the once-lively child, whose hand was in the grasp of Ran's warm hands. Neither Conan nor Ran stirred when he entered the room, and he decided to leave them alone and sat down on a nearby chair. 'You're just as bad as that other kid, making Ran sad for no good reason at all…' He took another sip from his coffee cup; the paper cup was almost empty, and so was Kogoro's anger. 'You'd better come back, or I'll pound you back to life, you hear?' He finished his cup and crushed it before throwing it into a nearby garbage can.

* * *

"Yes, yes… I understand, Gin out." He put away his cell phone and looked around the dark alleyway before raising his hand; shadows shuffled out of unseen corners and left without a whisper. The heels of highly polished shoes clicked upon the pavement and approached Gin. 

"That's it? We're not going to blow that bastard's brains out?"

"Who said we're not going to?" Gin took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

"Then you know where he is? I mean, why else would we be moving?"

"No idea," he lit up the cigarette with a flick of his metallic lighter. "All I know is that we've most likely been spotted by him, and it would do us no good to stay here too long. Who know what's in that bastard's mind? He may decide to pull the cops on us on a whim."

"So how exactly will we find him now?"

"By paying a visit to his friends," the smoke on his cigarette drifted slowly up through the darkness of predawn. "He'll most likely come dashing to them when he knows we're near. And if he tries to pull the cops on us there…"

"We'll have leverage…" Vodka patted the pistol tucked away inside his coat.

"Exactly," a bloodthirsty grin crawled across Gin's face. "And I know just the people to visit. Who knows, we might even bump into him as soon as we get there…"

* * *

"The time of reckoning approaches," Akako stood upon the rooftop in her black ceremonial witch's robe and looked upon the brightening horizon. "I hope you're ready, Kuroba-kun and Kudo-kun, because the margin of error has just narrowed to a hair, and the sands aren't falling any slower…" The first ray of the day streaked across the city and lit up the glass jar, the content of which was steadily decreasing.

* * *

"Achoo!" Kaito sneezed as he got out of the bathroom. 'Is someone talking about me this early in the morning? Well, can't be helped, I guess: After all, I am quite the popular guy.' A moment later, a voice called out from downstairs. 

"Are you catching a cold, Kaito? I told you not to stay up too late all the time! Hurry downstairs and have some of the chicken soup I made! You're not going to use the cold as an excuse from school, you know!"

"Okay, mom!" Kaito yawned and stretched before dragging himself down the stairs of his home. 'I guess I do need more sleep; gotta stay alert for tonight's show, right? Now, did mom remember to buy a new pack of coffee?'

* * *

**A/N: **Creepy music plays a la Resident Evil Uh… Pale hand bursts through the pile of schoolwork and out crawls a figure with bloodshot eyes and gaping mouth …Must… devour… Human flesh… Huh? Oh, hi there! I guess I've just been revived from the catacomb of creativity that we all call school. It's been what, half a year since I updated? Anyway, I just felt like it and decided that it's time to move things along. Things will come to an end within… the next four chapters, perhaps. But who knows when they'll be done? It may take another four years, or it may happen within the next four days. Don't hold your breath, though, since holding your breath for any prolonged period of time is bad for your health. (And I know that for a fact from my experiences with this pile of schoolwork behind me.) Now please excuse me as I must devour… I mean oxygenate my blood again through the rigorous exercise of tag where blood and screams may or may not be involved. 


End file.
